Save Me My Snow White
by ShellytheStripedAxolotl
Summary: One night, while walking back from Alya's to her apartment, Marinette is cornered by an armed mugger. Luckily there is someone to save her. But who is this hero? Who is the man with skin as pale as snow? (AU. T for slight violence.)
1. Snow White to the Rescue

I know Adrien's skin is tan but meh. Also, I don't own the cover image.

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There was a chill in the air that would've made even one of hell's demons shiver. The sky was being overcome by the darkness and the night's goddess of the sky was shining among the stars. Marinette's teeth chattered loudly. Her hands were gripping her sides which were tucked under her arms for some warmth. She was trying to walk quickly but it was hard with her slight limp.

A fortnight ago she had been hit by a careless, cancer-stick smoking driver at a zebra crossing. She thought she was fine and waved him off. However no more than 30 minutes later her leg was in agony. She called an ambulance and went to hospital. Turns out it wasn't broken however it was sprained. So she had taken it easy for the two weeks and the swelling had went down but it still hurt slightly.

She was going home from Alya's apartment. Since she was finally able to walk around they decided to celebrate by getting together to have a sleepover. Though there wasn't much sleeping, it was still fun. Alya had tried to convince her to stay another night but she had work tomorrow. Alya was going to give her a lift but the car wouldn't start so Marinette left with the words, "I need to exercise it anyway".

The clacking of her shoes against the cement was almost deafening. 'I'm not even wearing high heels', was her last thought before she was being pulled into an alleyway and shoved against a wall, a hand holding her the wall by her neck. Her heart immediately started hammering in her chest and her body froze apart from her hands, which were now shaking like leaves in an autumn's wind. 'I'm going to die'. The shadows prevented her from seeing their face. She snapped out of her freeze frame and started to struggle. They were probably a man because of their strength which made her unable to move. Just as she tried to hit them with her free hands, she saw the moon's light glinting off the reflective surface of a blade against her neck.

"Don't move", a low harsh voice bit out, "Drop your wallet and nobody gets hurt."

Marinette started trembling all over. She didn't have any money. 'Oh God he's going to kill me'. A few tears slipped past her now closed eyelids and her breathing came out in quick bursts, trying to suck in air whenever her closed throat would allow her.

"I said now", he said adding more pressure on the knife which made her whimper and press herself into the wall further.

"I don't have any money with me", she choked out between tears. She was of no use to him. 'This can't be happening.'

"Lies. Give me all of your valuables or I will kil-", he started and Marinette was already panicking until.

"DON'T MOVE!", a voice rang out in the near empty alley way. The mugger turned his head towards the sound. Marinette saw his face. A rough stubble covering the bottom half, chapped lips which were almost painful to look at, messy brown hair which didn't look like it had been washed for weeks and skin as fair as snow. In any other situation she would have made a joke about him being snow white but she couldn't even bring herself to look in the direction of the voice.

Her eyes slipped shut but her crying didn't cease. Instead it just overflowed down her face and onto her clothes and the pavement below. For a second, she felt the man's hand tense which restricted her already laboured breathing. 'He isn't even going to use the knife. He's going to strangle me to death in front of a helpless stranger.'

However, instead he removed the knife and his hand and footsteps echoed loudly down the main street where she had been walking earlier. She could finally breathe a bit more without being a fear of having her throat slit. She didn't celebrate this however instead choosing to slide down the wall and on to the disgusting floor which she could probably get tetanus from by just touching it. She didn't care though she couldn't think about anything else but his hand and the knife pressed into her neck.

"Are you okay?", the same voice as before said gently. She opened her eyes and looked up from her large sleeves. It was a man. A policeman. His hair was the most beautiful shade of blond she had ever seen. It was slightly unkept and shaggy, under his hat. There were one or two strands which hung in front of his face framing it like a picture. His green eyes sparkled with beauty and in what she believed to be concern. They were like diamonds -or should she say emeralds- in the wreck. Usually Marinette thought the police officers looked slightly stupid and a bit like marshmallows with the bulletproof vests on, even if they were practical, but on this man made him look smaller, cuter even. His lips weren't chapped like the man's which brought her some comfort even if his skin was nearly the same shade as his. This was the true snow white.

"Did you hear me? Are you hurt in anyway?", his voice was like honey, sweet and smooth.

Marinette tried to talk, say something, anything but her voice was stuck in her throat. She settled for shaking her head.

"Good, that's good, you're doing great. If you didn't know this is a panic attack. I want you to focus on my voice", he said. "I want you to try and take deep breaths with me now."

He started to make his breathing more audible. Marinette focused on it and tried to breathe at the same time as him. Her breathing slowed down a little but she still kept choking on her own breathing.

"Good job. Can you tell me your name?", he asked.

"...", her mouth moved but all that came out were shaky breaths. "Marion...nette."

"You're doing so well. Can you try name three things you see? Can you do that for me?"

"I-I...s-see y-ou, the a-alleyw-way and-d...the moon", she stuttered on nearly every word but still got it out.

"Well done, you're doing amazing. Now, how about two things you hear?"

"Y-your voice and my-y voice."

"Just one more, you're doing great. Name one thing you can feel. You can do it."

"The cold floor", her voice was still a little croaky from the crying but her breathing was even enough to speak clearly.

"Well done. You did so well. Speaking of the cold floor how about we get you up", he said with a warm smile on his face.

"I don't know if I can. I have a bad leg", she said looking at the floor, almost ashamed. Little did Marinette know this broke the man's heart.

"I thought you said he didn't hurt you", he frowned slightly, not that Marinette knew.

"I was hit by a car two weeks ago. The swelling has gone down but sometimes it hurts to put pressure on it", Marinette looked up this time only to see the man's now sad features.

"Oh that's awful, I'll help you up. Can I touch you? To help you up that is", he blushed slightly. Marinette thought she must be dead because an angel was standing in front of her.

"Yea, it's ok", she smiled. That was so considerate of him to ask.

The man bent down and wrapped his arm around her waist in a side hug. Marinette's heart fluttered. Of course she had to develop a crush on him. People couldn't help her without her falling in love. The man gently pulled her up from the floor and for about five seconds they stood there awkwardly, still hugging. They blushed and turned away.

"Sorry about tha-", he started but Marinette interrupted him.

"No, I'm sorry you probably don't want to spend your Sunday night scaring off m-muggers and helping someone control a panic attack", her throat closed up on the word mugger, "Thanks for that by the way." She slightly cringed as she thought, 'I sound so awkward'.

"You don't need to thank me. Not only is it my job but I also wanted to help. I've had panic attacks before and they are not nice to go through alone", he smiled, "Oh yea, my name is Adrien by the way. If you wanted to know."

"You and your name have something in common", Marinette said setting up a terrible pickup line.

"What?", he asked in confusion.

"You're both beautiful", she remarked smoothly. Adrien laughed and Marinette decided she liked the sound. A lot.

"That's doing wonders for my self-esteem. As much as I hate to kill the conversation, I have to take you to the station to get your statement", he said looking slightly guilty.

Marinette froze, "I don't know if I can talk about it yet", she said trying hard to keep her voice even.

"I'll be with you the entire time and you can take as long as you like", he said trying to comfort her.

"Can I go tomorrow? I think I need a while", she said, it almost sounding like a plea.

"Of course", he said with a gentle smile grazing his face.

He took Marinette back to the police car and drove her home. The drive was quiet other than pickup lines and laughing and of course, lots of blushing too. By the end of the ride, Adrien's face almost matched the colour of a tomato.

They got out the car and went up the elevator to the 23rd floor. Her hands shook as she unlocked the door. Eventually she got the door open but she didn't dare go inside. She just stared in with tense shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked.

"I can't. I know if I'm alone, I'll start freaking out. I'm scared", she kept staring in with hollow yet fearful eyes, "Sorry, I'm just being stupi-"

"No, it's ok. My patrol ended. I could stay if you would like?", he asked. Marinette turned to look at him surprised. Adrien immediately felt embarrassed and was about to take it back but...

"Please stay..."

Adrien smiled, "of course."

Adrien may have had the complexion of Snow White and the beauty of an angel but he was so much more. He was a hero.

Marinette was in love.

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By the way, if you want me to continue this then please ask. Thank you for reading!


	2. Me Casa Es Su Casa

As Adrien crossed the door's boundary he realised two things. One, this girl was a fan of pink and two, Marinette lived in a shoebox. A nice one but a shoebox none the less. He also lived in an apartment albeit a bigger one with his childhood friend Nino, who helped pay expenses. From what he could see Marinette's apartment consisted of a joint kitchen and living room and two doors he presumed led to a bedroom and bathroom. It was then he saw that she was watching, whilst wringing her hands, as he inspected the room. He knew she might have taken his slight concern at her living conditions as scrutiny.

"Nice place you got here", he said giving a reassuring smile, "Though that might just be my fondness of pink talking."

Marinette laughed, "If you think in here is pink then you should see the bedroom", she quickly added, "Sorry if that came out wrong."

Adrien just chuckled, "Don't worry about it", he said slightly quieter, "I wouldn't have minded if you did."

Despite him speaking quietly, she still heard it. Her heart felt like it had just started again. Not only had she met a good guy who she had an interest in but also one that might have an interest in her. As she began to walk over to the dinky kitchen, she silently squealed in excitement at the thought of him in her apartment. She couldn't wait to tell Alya. The girl would be ecstatic. This was not to say she was lying about what would have happened if she were on her own. This was just a plus.

She realised how insane it was to be letting a complete stranger in her house. She didn't know anything about him. Apart from his name, job and that he likes the colour pink. Well a stranger being here was better than being alone right now. Or worse, with...him. She shuddered slightly. Her mother would be disappointed at how irresponsible she was being. Then again that wasn't uncommon now a days. She loved her mother even though she was slightly judgemental at times. To distract herself, she began to search through her near empty cupboards.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?", she asked. He stood there awkwardly, which Marinette found adorable, still in uniform, vest and all.

"Ah, no thank you", he said crossing his arms. Though it made him look confident, she could tell it was more of a comfort thing.

"You can sit down if you want. The sofa doesn't bite", she said watching as he went over to the sofa before sitting down stiffly. She would have laughed if she hadn't thought it would make him more anxious. She felt some anxiety bubble as she thought about it more, "Are you sure you don't want to go? I kind of feel like I'm forcing you to stay."

"No, I want to make sure you are okay. I know how scary that experience can be. I'll only go if you want me to", he said adamantly, looking more sure of himself. That definitely brought her more comfort. She gave him a smile and a shy thanks before sitting down beside him. They sat in silence for a few seconds as he took in his surroundings. It was interesting to watch him take in the room, studying it like a painting in a gallery. Like he was desperate to find meaning in the room's walls.

"So how long have you been staying here?", he broke the silence still looking around.

"Erm... Maybe 8 months now. I used to live with my friend Alya but her apartment isn't much bigger then this one so I got my own place."

"Wow. It looks so homely for 8 months", he said with an amazed expression like a child on Christmas.

"Awww thanks. I try", she said. Everything he said and did was so genuine and pure it was hard not to believe him. With a yawn, her eyes wandered to the clock distractedly only to widen in surprise. 'Ah crap', she thought as the clock blinked 3:23 AM.

"I need to get up earlier than normal tomorrow so I need to sleep now. Do you want the bed or sofa?", she asked not wanting to be impolite. I mean, she had basically forced him to stay at her house after saving her life.

"Jesus, buy me a drink first", he joked making Marinette's cheeks darken, "I'll take the sofa if you don't mind."

"Are you sure? After what you done for me it's the least I can do-"

"I'll take the sofa. I don't really sleep well because of my insomnia so don't worry about it. If I'm on my phone half the night then don't be surprised", he interrupted before she could ramble anymore.

"Oh, that's so terrible. Do you take pills for it?", she asked curiously.

"I used to but it started giving me weird symptoms so I stopped", he replied, kind of happy she took some sort of interest in him.

"Well if you get bored then feel free to watch TV. I'm a heavy sleeper so as long as it's not max volume I should stay asleep. I'll go get you some blankets", she left the living room and went into the bedroom to retrieve the fluffiest blankets she could find along with a oversized black hoodie. She took the bundle into the living room and nearly dropped it when she saw him. He had taken the vest, hat and shoes off. The said items were placed neatly on the floor and arm of the chair. The man's hair looked fluffy like a blond cloud yet it still had that slightly tousled look to it. His eyes seemed even brighter without the hat to hide them in shadows. Without the vest his body looked much more lithe and graceful like a cat. She stared down at the blankets, placing them on the sofa's arm. She began to ramble again saying, "There's some blankets and hoodie if you get cold and I might have a heater somewhere if you want me to look for it. If you get hungry or thirsty then help yourself to the kitchen."

"Thank you. Also, you don't need to find the heater. I think this will keep me warm enough", he smiled at her efforts. There must have been five blankets there.

"Ok. Good night Adrien", she said as a smile reached her face.

"Good night Marinette. See you tomorrow", he said lying down for the night.

As they both lay down attempting to find sleep their minds wandered to each other. For once, Adrien wasn't staring at the ceiling in frustration but in excitement. And Marinette wasn't worrying about the day ahead but looking forward to what it might bring. These thoughts lulled them into an blissful sleep which would soon be ended by the sound of Marinette's alarm.


	3. Brekkie Time

I feel like I should apologise for how long this took but my apathy is telling me not to. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also, if there are any mistakes then it is because my insomnia is attempting to kill me on a Monday morning at 4AM while my brother bangs on my door telling me that it is 4AM as if I didn't have the foggiest that that was a possibility.

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Adrien woke up to a familiar ache bordering his eyes. As always he attempted to treat his lack of sleep with an unenthusiastic amount of friction which only increased his discomfort. Dragging his stone body up from his reclined position, he noticed that he wasn't in his room. That or Nino changed the colour, size, position and interior. Then again Nino's pranks were usually needlessly elaborate and ridiculous. If anything he did them more to show off his abilities. He quickly remembered the previous night and berated himself for briefly thinking that Nino had somehow managed to install a window in a different wall. His eyes wandered the room in a slight disbelief. It felt like a dream, but he was still here. The clock's face read 8:03AM. It had been 5 hours. 'Not too shabby', he thought to himself. He found himself wandering the room's perimeters, perusing its contents. She really had designed the room skilfully. Every pink object was placed circumspectly. Like she had spend hours examining its position until it looked like the walls were caressing it.

After dazing at the fresh pink irises in the sleek glass rose-stained vase for probably a bit too long, his stomach growled. His thoughts drifted to what Marinette told him the previous night. Glazing towards the cheap plastic of the refrigerator, he decided to make some breakfast. After all, he had only eaten two burnt slices of toast yesterday. Though that was Nino's fault to be fair. He'd never let him make breakfast again. Looking around the kitchen he found milk, eggs, bacon and bread. 'Perfect', he thought as a smile grazed his face. Mixing the eggs and milk together, he began to search the cupboards for salt and pepper to give it some flavour. He then proceeded to fry up the bacon and French toast. He was just thinking of ways he could attempt to offer to make some for his host when he hears a repetitive irritating noise followed by weary groans. His eyes darted to the clock yet again. 9:11AM. Time sure passes quickly. She quickly through the room to investigate the source of the rich aroma.

She groggily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and in concealed disbelief. There was her guest in he kitchen, making breakfast in her oversized hoodie. Though it swallowed her, it ate up Adrien. Though it was mildly concerning, he did look a-dork-able. He greeted her with a good morning and a smile, which she returned, then offered her some breakfast. She was about to refuse as he made that amazing meal for himself, not her, when he wafted the plate in front of her. Her nose immediately pinpointed the French toast. She had to stop herself from drooling over.

"Actually I would like some if you don't mind", she asked timidly.

"Of course you can have some. It's your food", he laughed. He served up some bacon and toast and passed it to her. He then started on his own French toast. She couldn't help but watch him almost dance around the kitchen like a 1950s housewife. He hummed along to a song in his head. She only wished she knew what song it was.

"Marinette? Is there something wrong with your food?", he had an anxious expression on his face as he turned around and approached the sofa with his plate of food. Marinette then realised she hadn't touched her food since sitting down.

"Oh erm, no there's nothing wrong with it. I was just waiting for you to get yours", she lied. I mean she couldn't tell him she'd just been fantasizing about him in a 'Kiss the Cook' apron. That might not go down so well.

"Oh you didn't need to do that", he smiled. Gosh, he had a beautiful smile. His face lit up like the moon whenever his mouth quirked upward. She lifted the bacon and French toast sandwich she made to her mouth hoping that it tasted as good as it smelt before taking a bite. It didn't. It tasted much better. She'd never tasted bacon so perfectly cooked. There wasn't any grease ruining it either. She simply couldn't fathom how he did it. Though she hadn't previously tasted French toast she knew he'd done a good job of it. She took a other bite groaning. How? How was it so perfect? It can't be possible for something so simple to be so good. She normally hated breakfast because it tended made her feel sick but this was heaven. She gobbled it down.

She heard a chuckle from her right only to see Adrien with his half eaten meal. She felt a wave of embarrassment flush her face, "Your cooking is one of the best things I've ever tasted. Who taught you?"

"My mother was always a good cook and she inspired me to cook like her", he said with a smile of nostalgia. She stared at him in awe. She just couldn't believe that his existence was possible. She'd never met anyone with his nature. Every thing about him was...aesthetic. Perfect. She disembarked that train of thought before she attempted to articulate these feelings to the man himself. Instead she focused on the clock. Her blood ran cold like a metal bench in winter. 9:43AM.

"Oh fricknugget!", she exclaimed loudly, "I'm going to be late!" She ran into her room, not even closing the door before removing her pyjamas and digging through her drawers for something to wear. Luckily Adrien, being the nice guy he was, didn't peek. She took out some jeans, which she proceeded to hastily pull on. In this process, she managed to painfully bend a finger nail, causing her to yelp and crash into the pace between her bed and wall. Adrien immediately came to her help, only to see Marinette trapped between a flat rock and a slightly less hard place, in no more than a pair of unzipped jeans and a red with black polka dots balcony bra. Honestly he would have laughed if he didn't feel so embarrassed. He left spewing apologies left, right and centre. Although she felt mortified, she couldn't spare any time to even think about it. Pulling on a t-shirt and simple black cardigan she ran out the room, socks in hand. She grabbed the closest pair of shoes in sight, a pair of pale pink converse and dressed her feet. Then grabbing her bag, she stuffed her phone in. The clock flashed 9:49AM. A new record. But she still needed to be there by 9:15AM and it was a 45 minute walk.

"I'm really sorry, Marinette. I shouldn't have-"

Don't worry about it. You just wanted to know if I was ok", she said as she walked around the room picking things up and stuffing them in her bag along with her phone.

"So, where are you going then?", he almost cocked his head like a puppy.

"I work as a nanny. Maybe not for much longer though", her brow creased.

"Oh wow, I bet you are great with kids though", she had to smile because she knew how genuine he was.

"Thanks."

"Do you want a ride then? I mean it's my day off so I don't mind", he offers.

"As much as I want to be polite and refuse, I'm not really in any position to if I don't want to be fired. Let's go Bobby", she said already half way out the door leaving behind a very confused Adrien.

"Hold on! I haven't even gotten dressed!", Adrien shucked off the hoodie and stepped into his shoes grabbing his vest and running out after her rummaging through his pockets to find his keys. Little did he know that in his rush, Adrien hadn't noticed the police hat which had rolled behind the sofa...


	4. The Other Woman (or Roommate)

"So I'll definitely see you at the station tomorrow because-"

"Yea, I'll come tomorrow. Just relax. It's your day off", Marinette said coolly as she closed the car's door behind her.

Leaning on the open window's frame, she thanked him for the ride before running over to the grand house, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Though this went unnoticed by Adrien, who was busy sinking into his chair with a charmed sigh, she couldn't help whip her head around to hide it.

Adrien was roused from his stupor by a vibration in the car door, which he recognised as his phone. He made two mental notes: 'Don't your phone in the car unguarded' and 'Remember to put it on silent' though he swore he'd silenced it all evidence said not. 'Oh well', he thought letting it slide despite his usual persistence about these things. The dreamy expression was quickly wiped from his face when he saw what had caused his phone to rumble. The battery life was critically low- 1%. Though this often didn't bother him, the reason behind it got to him. 33 messages, 12 calls. Possibly a new record. 'Christ, he must be worried sick...', Adrien thought, chewing his lip.

Manoeuvring out of the space, he raced back to the station to return his car and uniform.

Adrien rolled up to the apartment block with a stack of paper work in tow. With a tired push, he managed to shut the beat up vehicle's heavy door. Giving the hood a sluggish pat he began his long journey up the building.

After many stumbled steps and shuffling of paper work, he made it to the top, though now his hair was ruffled as well as his white dress shirt, which had been up to his elbows. Lumbering over to the door he gave it a soft knock. A crash sounded from behind the door. He couldn't help but let a sigh escape him. He'd always been a klutz. Steps ran toward the door with quick succession, light pants coming from the other side. The door was yanked from its hinges to reveal the source of the ruckus. Nino. Adrien's roommate and friend since secondary school.

The bespectacled man pulled him into an embrace, "Oh my god I thought you died!", he squeezed harder, making his victim wince, the surprisingly strong arms constricting his breathing and his paperwork dug a little deeper into his chest. Nino pulled him into the apartment only to start berating him on his actions, mainly the lack of a phone call or warning. Meanwhile Adrien walk to the adjoining kitchen getting himself a tea, offering Nino one too, who was still mid-rant. There was a brief confirmation before a dramatic transition back to his rant.

By the time Adrien had made their tea and sat down with the angry mother hen, Nino seemed to be wrapping it up. Mostly.

"Where even were you? Are you seeing another roommate? If you are-", Adrien had to stop this it was getting a bit ridiculous.

"Nino. I was helping a girl was in shock after being threatened with a knife. You are still my favourite roommate ever and I'm sorry for not calling you", he really did feel like he was coming back to an anxious 50's housewife. At these words Nino immediately turned on him with a strange grin

"A girl, ay? Is she cute? Do you like her? Also when you said you were helping her did you mean-"

"NO Nino I didn't do anything...like that. I just took her to her house and stayed with her because she was freaked out."

"That doesn't sound like police protocol", a rictus smile overcoming him. He had a giddy air to him that could only come from hearing news of his roommate and best friend finally possibly finding love again. Only took him 4 years.

"I'll admit I bent the rules but I was worried", his finger ran along the edge of his mug's rim, "She looked so scared..."

Nino's gaze softened. The blonde really did care about other people, whether he knew them or not, it's what made him so good at his job. He knew this wasn't that typical compassion Adrien always harboured. It had been a long time since he'd seen that look in his eye. He'd feared it was gone for good. But like a Phoenix from the flames, it seemed to have returned. A small smile tugged at his lips, "Are you going to see her again?"

"Yea, she still needs report the incident."

"When is that happening? Sooner rather than later right?"

"She said she'd come tomorrow...", he looked a bit dejectedly at his tea.

"Let's just hope she's not lying I guess", Adrien head shot up in opposition but it soften as he realised the element of truth.

"I don't think she would... I hope she wouldn't..."

"If she's a good egg, she'll go", he said, pulling himself to a stand, "if not then I get you all to myself", he smirked down at him, one hand on his hip, the other lazily gesturing.

"Ha, you wish."

"You know 'little year 7 Nino' was heartbroken when I realised you weren't into guys. I thought it would be the death of me", he laughed taking Adrien's half drunken cold tea from his hands, "I guess it's for the best though our love child would be too beautiful for this world."

"Sometimes you say things that are downright terrifying you know?"

"Yes, your point?"

He let out a deep sigh as Nino sauntered into the kitchen, "never mind."


End file.
